As Virginia's coastal communities continue working to improve water safety, Wilder School doctoral student Jackie Okao has received a significant boost for her research. Okao has been selected for the prestigious and highly competitive 2026–2028 Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Fellowship, which will provide approximately $80,000 in federal research support through Virginia Sea Grant to advance her dissertation examining how government policy and community engagement can work together to prevent rip current-related drowning deaths along Virginia Beach's coastline.
A doctoral student in public policy and administration in the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University, Okao will use the fellowship to conduct primary research, working directly with community members, local officials and other stakeholders as she examines strategies for improving water safety and informing evidence-based public policy.
"This fellowship will allow me to examine how grassroots community partnerships can work alongside public policy to better protect local communities and beachgoers," Okao said. "By connecting community knowledge with evidence-based policy, we can develop approaches that ultimately save lives."
The fellowship builds on Okao's broader research agenda examining drowning prevention as a public policy challenge. Her research explores how equitable public policies and community partnerships can reduce preventable drowning deaths, particularly among communities that have historically had less access to swimming education and beach safety resources. Earlier in her doctoral studies, she examined drowning prevention in fishing communities along Lake Victoria in East Africa, where she studied how legislation, community-based interventions and local implementation strategies can work together to reduce preventable deaths. Her Virginia Sea Grant-supported research extends that work by focusing on rip current safety and drowning prevention along Virginia's coastline.
Administered by Virginia Sea Grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Sea Grant College Program, the Graduate Fellowship Program supports outstanding graduate students conducting research that addresses coastal and marine challenges while providing professional development in science communication, stakeholder engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Related Stories
Wilder doctoral students bring research to life at VCU Graduate School talks
